Tool: Questions for investigating adolescents' situations

Who are the adolescents?

How many adolescents are there?

Who are the most vulnerable adolescents?

Collect disaggregated data regarding:

• Number of adolescents (i.e. young people ages 10-17)
• Number of adolescents each age
• Number of adolescent girls and number of boys
• Number of adolescents with disabilities, including disaggregated data on those with mobility, sensory (sight and hearing), and cognitive disabilities
• Number of adolescents from each ethnicity, religion, language group, clan or other important cultural or social group represented in the community
• Number of adolescents from marginalized groups in the community

What kind of humanitarian situation are adolescents in?

• What is the nature of the humanitarian crisis (i.e. natural disaster, conflict)?
• How soon after the crisis is it?
• How long is the crisis likely to last?
• What is the security situation?

What kind of challenges do adolescents face?

• Do adolescent girls and boys face protection challenges? (e.g. separation from their caregivers, child marriage, exploitative labour, violence, recruitment into fighting forces and other risks)?
• What kind of challenges do they face in terms of their basic needs, safety, living conditions and wellbeing?
• Has their education been disrupted?
• What kind of challenges do they face in their families, at school (e.g. bullying), at work, with friends, in romantic relationships?

What kind of family situations do adolescents have?

• Are they separated from their caregivers?
• Are they heads of household?
• Are they caring for younger children?
• Are they married?
• Are they parents?

How do adolescents spend their time?

What are adolescents’ daily activities and responsibilities? When are they:

• In school or other education programmes?
• Carrying out household tasks or using facilities (e.g. waiting in line for food or other distributions, fetching water, using toilets/showers, cooking in community kitchens)?
• Accessing services or participating in programmes (e.g. attending health clinics or participating in child protection, education, youth or livelihood initiatives)?
• Playing, socializing, resting, or unoccupied?
• Praying or at religious services?
• Earning income to support themselves or others?

If adolescents go outside their homes regularly, where do they go?

• What places do adolescents visit regularly?
• Where do they spend their time?
• What routes and transport do they take?

What kind of environment do adolescents live in?

Examine adolescents’ social, cultural and physical environments.

• What are the cultural or social norms of adolescent boys and girls? For example, is it appropriate for adolescent boys and girls to interact?
• What is the relationship between different ethnic, religious, linguistic, clan and other groups? Have any groups been economically, socially or politically marginalized - and how has this affected adolescents?
• Where do adolescents live?
• Which routes are accessible and safe and which are dangerous?
• What forms of transportation are available to them?
• What places pose hazards for adolescents? Where do they feel uncomfortable, unsafe and wish to avoid?

What kind of activities are adolescents interested in?

• What activities do adolescents enjoy in their daily lives?
• What do they enjoy about those activities? What do they find fun?
• What activities or tasks do they enjoy the least, or find the least helpful or rewarding? Why?
• What new activities would they like to try?

What knowledge and skills do adolescents want to gain?

• What knowledge and skills have adolescents gained through school or other education programmes?
• What knowledge and skills have adolescents gained through other activities, including chores and responsibilities, sports, arts, recreation, or their own self-guided learning?
• What new topics interest them?
• What new skills or knowledge would they like to learn?
• How do they hope these new skills will benefit them?

What kind of relationships do adolescents have?

Note that adolescents in humanitarian contexts may be separated from parents and/or heading households).

• How do adolescents relate to their parents or care providers? How do these relationships support them? What tensions or conflicts do they experience?
• How do adolescents relate to others in their families or households, including siblings, grandparents, and extended family members?
• Do adolescents have any trusted friends? When and how do they spend time with them?
• In what ways do they find their interactions with friends and peers helpful and enjoyable? What challenges do they experience in these relationships?
• How do adolescents relate to people from different groups or backgrounds - e.g. the opposite gender, those with or without disabilities, other ethnic or religious groups? What positive interactions and connections have they experienced? What conflicts and tensions?

What are adolescents’ hopes and goals?

• What is going well for adolescents in their current circumstances? What positive changes would adolescents like to make in their daily lives?
• What changes would adolescents like to see in their communities and surroundings? How would they like to contribute to these changes?
• What hopes or goals do adolescent have for their futures, including for their families, relationships, communities, societies, economic situations and employment?

Other questions?

• Add any other questions that make sense in your particular context

Make sure that you explore the questions with different groups of adolescents (e.g. boys and girls, different age groups, those with disabilities), as their responses may be very different!